I want to wish my father a Happy Father’s Day.

He lives in NY and I wasn’t able to come home to visit him. I called him and asked what he was doing. He said he was going to watch some golf. I told him. I was gong to barbeque, but first I had to cut the grass.

Houses with front lawns

The front lawn was only invented around the time of Columbus. The idea was to demonstrate that you had time and money to waste. You could take useful land and make it non-productive. You could take labor and put it to work taking care of this non-productive land with no obvious utility in return. A big front lawn, well cared for, was a sign of status and luxury.

It’s a contagious idea, and a sticky one. Many suburbs have it written into their laws.

Scott Fitzgerald wrote us that The Great Gatsby paid to have a neighbor’s yard groomed before Daisy came over to meet him…

The costs are real. Depending on location, we use 30 to 70% of our country’s total potable water supply to water the grass. We spend billions of dollars a year maintaining it, and the machines we use make our air toxic. If someone invented grass today, with all the hassles and costs, there’s no way it would catch on.

It’s all about Status

The next step in the status ladder is happening in many communities–grass for the high school playing fields has become low status. It needs to be replaced with plastic “turf” (a name created by wordsmiths to remind us of grass, when it’s actually carpet). The best reason to do the switch, supporters say, is because all the other schools are doing it, and we’re falling behind.

If it can happen to grass, it can happen to everything, and it does.

I’m glad my father grounded me in being humble and have a strong faith in God and status won’ t bring me happiness.

I have to go now, I need to cut the grass before it rains.

Dad, Happy Father’s Day

Updated: 2025 Boston Real Estate Blog